James Hall is The Daily and Sunday Telegraph's retail editor.

Poultry sales are pure chickenomics

Brazilian chicken exports might not sound like a barometer for global economic well-being (or any form of well-being if some people are to be believed), but Brazilian poultry sales provide an interesting snapshot of the credit crunch's impact on international commerce.

Brazil is the chicken coop of the world, accounting for 41pc of the global chicken market. However the value of poultry exports from Brazil fell by 16.3pc to $5.8bn last year, according to new figures from the Brazil Poultry Exporters' Association (ABEF).

The fall was due to the contraction of the international economy, prompted by the financial crisis, and an appreciating Real against the dollar, ABEF said. This currency movement caused a reduction in the export price of chicken (strong currencies are bad for exports), meaning that revenue fell sharply. Volumes held up better at 3,600,000 tonnes, but were still down year-on-year.

Sales of Brazilian chicken to Asia, the EU and the Americas fell over 2009. Countries such as Russia also cut back on orders (Russia is on a mission to become more self-sufficient chicken-wise).

To counter this fall, the ABEF is starting 2010 on the front foot. Brazil is embarking on a charm-offensive in foreign markets this year to promote the sustainable value, quality and good sanitary aspects of Brazilian poultry.

For example, the country is looking to use next week's International Poultry Expo in Atlanta, Georgia, to raise its profile. (Although Brazil rules the roost sales-wise, the US is the world's second largest chicken market with a 37pc share). The ABEF also plans to be present in South Africa for the football World Cup in June.

Brazil will look to increase trade with the whole of Africa, where rising incomes have caused a significant jump in sales. Ricardo Stantin, an ABEF director, believes that the first thing a person does when he or she has more money is to consume more animal protein, of which chicken is the most affordable. According to the 'Brazzil Mag' website, Egypt has increased Brazilian chicken imports by 100pc recently.

Exports of chicken to the Middle East have also continued to be strong, rising by 22.7pc last year to 1,400,000 tonnes. This equates to an eye-watering 3,800 tonnes of chicken being shipped from Brazil to the Middle East every single day.

There could be other issues behind the overall fall. Questions have been asked about the sustainability and sanitation of certain aspects of the global poultry industry, and so certain countries could be looking to import less in general. Restaurants are also likely to be wary of importing meat after "fresh" chicken in Pret-A-Manger sandwiches was discovered to have been imported frozen chicken from Brazil.

The Brazilian poultry industry remains vast. Indeed it has been a major factor in the country's fantastic economic growth story over recent years. However global economics have meant that even this sector has been roasted by the credit crunch.